In an interview Wednesday, Shannon Lien said she is still processing the loss of Whitaker, whom she described as her best friend and a wonderful man with a "huge heart" whose looks belied his warmth.

“I don’t know how I’m going to move forward," she told News4Jax. "I don't know how any of us are going to move forward. But I know that he’s with us, he’s in heaven watching over all of us."

While she and Whitaker were together for three years, Lien said, the couple's history goes back much further. In fact, the two have known each other since they were teens attending Wolfson High School.

Lien, who lives in Texas, said she and Whitaker had been traveling back and forth on weekend to see each other. She said they hadn't set a wedding date, but planned to get hitched sometime next year.